FM stations were 'hijacked' by satellite, some listeners say

The problem comes from improperly installed car radios.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
You're driving down the road, calmed by the soothing sounds from your favorite Christian radio station when, all of a sudden, Howard Stern hijacks your radio.
This is just the most outrageous example of a phenomenon radio station managers in the lower end of the FM spectrum have been hearing from listeners in recent months, a situation they attribute to improperly installed satellite radios.
The improperly installed radios turn automobiles into powerful, mobile transmitters. The interference temporarily blots out specific radio frequencies of nearby automobiles and homes, replacing it with the passing automobile's satellite radio broadcast, which can include Stern's uncensored Sirius Satellite Radio program.
Mike Starling, a technology specialist with National Public Radio, said he's been hearing complaints about interference from member stations in recent months. "Howard Stern's Sirius broadcast has been mentioned a lot," he said.
The topic has also been discussed on radio-specific technical forums on the Internet.
Improper installation
Starling said the most serious interference is related to improperly installed satellite radios that are added to a vehicle, supplementing the existing AM/FM radio.
Satellite radios connected wirelessly to a car radio don't pose as much of an interference problem. These wireless systems, some of which plug into a vehicle's cigarette lighter, use an encapsulated, or self-contained, antenna that has a very limited range, Starling said. Built-in satellite radios, which come with newer cars, also don't produce interference problems.
The after-market satellite radios -- radios car owners add on after they've bought the car -- come with a switch, which is required by Federal Communications Commission rules designed to limit interference. Once properly installed and engaged when the satellite radio is in use, the switch prevents the satellite radio signal from transmitting over a car's existing FM antenna.
Without the switch, the satellite signal is inadvertently transmitted, and reports have indicated the signal can travel a quarter mile or more.
An FCC spokesman, who requested his name not be used, said the commission has not received specific complaints about the problem, but added the agency receives thousands of complaints a month and it's possible some have been filed.
Problem around cities
Starling said the problem increases in densely populated areas. When he commutes to work along the Beltway outside of Washington, D.C., during morning rush hour, he said he routinely experiences interference. The interference is intermittent as his car moves through traffic.
Starling has already been in contact with Sirius Satellite Radio, which features some NPR programming.
He is also trying to persuade satellite-radio manufacturers to use a relatively inactive FM frequency, 87.9, as the satellite radio's default frequency.
Use of that frequency, which is mostly used by low-power radio stations, mainly ones connected with small colleges and high schools, would not interfere with broadcasters, Starling said.
An XM Radio spokeswoman, Anne-Taylor Griffith, said the company has not received calls about the interference, but noted the add-on radios represent an older technology. "We haven't used that type of technology for in-dash radios for a couple of years now."
Users of these add-on radios also represent a fraction of XM's 6 million subscribers, she said.
Newer add-ons plug directly into input jacks in the car's radio, or connect to the radio wirelessly, she said.